the countdown to the next winter olympics begins as exactly one year until russia hosts its first ever winter games that promise to become the most to me and certainly the most expensive in history. but not all officials are in a celebratory mood russia's president lashes out over spending even sucks a key figure behind sochi twenty fourteen. and the turmoil in tunisia intensifies fresh clashes between anti-government protesters and police are accompanied by political chaos with the ruling islam is a defining the prime minister's decision to reshuffle the government. and no compromise in sight e.u. leaders care up for a clash over cuts as they arrive in brussels to hammer out a budget deal.

thanks for tuning in to news and analysis from around the world broadcasting live twenty four hours a day here from our moscow headquarters i'm lucy coffin of any of course you're watching our t.v. well onto our top story which is sochi twenty fourteen it's now exactly one year until the opening of the twenty forty and winter olympic games here in russia special giant clocks as you can see right there behind me broadcasting live have begun the countdown for the event that will be held in the black sea resort city of sochi now the clock behind me is the one in the center of moscow where we are right now and it's ticking in real time so you can see that it's about the twenty three hours twelve minutes and fifteen seconds left until the winter olympics kick off now it's also that sounds somewhat wrong. it's also home straight for organizers

who say final preparations are on track and finishing touches are currently being made in order to make the event unforgettable for how things look on the ground let's talk to our team is andrew farmer who is in sochi for us andrew this count down certainly a big deal for the city tell us how preparations are going. you know you can almost taste the olympic spirit now here in sochi because this evening. a ceremony was held a lavish one to mark the one year to go down to these games in the bolshoi. at the olympic park a spectacular skating show was held involving three hundred people to talk about sochi olympic story and to demonstrate all demonstrated on the ice and it also included famous figure skaters from russia past and present so there is a year to go and in the few minutes we do expect the skies of salt you to light up with fireworks just before that will be repeated because i just before in three hundred sixty five days time when the opening ceremony begins the monday lympics do

begin they will play one of the most unique you will see and there are a couple of reasons for that firstly they will be the first olympics to be held in a stop tropical environment understood at the limpid park and it is just a stone's throw away from the black sea amongst the palm trees and then you can catch a train or you will be able to and it will take you thirty minutes to get up into the mountains that krasnaya polyana where you will be able to watch all the alpine ski events lympics is also unique air too because most of the venues have had to be built from scratch and it is a magnificent feat really to get to this stage and how all the venues the main sporting ones up and running and able to host international events they will be tested over the next twelve months or so to make sure they are all in order a lot of infrastructure work is still going on at the moment so there's a lot of roadworks a lot of euros are being built something like three hundred around sochi five hundred kilometers of road and railings have been laid down so there's a lot of inconvenience for people who didn't. but you begin to see just what

they've achieved when you look around and it should be a marvelous then takes when they finally get underway in a year's time. all right our team is andrew farmer in sochi for us thank you so much well authorities are also keeping a close eye on progress in sochi before it becomes host to hundreds of thousands of sports men and women and guests from all around the globe now russian president vladimir putin has been personally checking the olympic venues and says that he is generally very happy with what he saw he did a lot of fire one top official for delays and cost overruns and construction work this following following this abrupt conversation that we're about to play for you right now take a look at the danger in your view are there any cost overruns yes a serious increase in costs but since they use their own funds for the construction on phones. it's financed by the funds of president. who's the shareholder of

principal you know spends so it's largely finance at the expense of sperm bank yes and these cost overruns are paid for by sperm bank yes it spending one of the costs of this whole facility question what's the overall was too much of an initially be very assessing the amount of. what's a rough estimate. initial pressure one point two billion now it's. one point two billion has twenty eight billion yes well done good work let's move on well the president has some cutting words there which as we reported didn't go without consequences for the official will of course keep you posted on everything that's going on in sochi too long mark the one year countdown to the actual games.

in tunisia anti-government protests are increasingly turning into violent clashes with the police in the capital security forces used tear gas to disperse crowds at the interior ministry meanwhile the political crisis in the country is deepening with the ruling is the must party rejecting the prime minister's call to dissolve the government and form an interim cabinet in the wake of the assassination parties we are familiar is in tunisia for us there are no signs at all that tunisian capital is getting any comma protests continue here today and police is continuing to use tear gas against protesters opposition supporters are on the streets again and. again march and against wednesday's of the prominent opposition leader here is something they say the government and the ruling islam is party. behind. and to government slogans and they are not calling for justice all for fire

investigation for example but some of them ascending very clear message that the government the current authorities should step down we haven't received any information about casualties today but we've been hearing and that at least one policeman died on wednesday during the clashes between opposition supporters and police offer says the fear is that it will go even further as to morrow they will be funeral of the killed opposition leader and police is expecting even more violence even further protest well let's see what's going to happen tomorrow. well of course we're always eager to get your views on the stories that we're covering here at r.t. dot com if you head over to our website you can check out our online poll and let us know what you think about the outcome of the latest bout of tunisian protest how they will actually turn out there you're going to find four options to choose from

and i want to show you how those results of played out so far from those of you who actually did go online to vote so let's see if we can bring that up there on the screen for us now a majority of those of you have already voted think that tunisia will plunge into further on rust almost a third of you fear that the latest upsurge of public unrest is going to lead to a government crackdown on protesters a little fewer of you believe that the country might in fact see another revolution and almost a fifth on the contrary i think that the leadership is ready for political concessions so head on one to our website and cast your vote. today. these are the images the world has been seeing on the streets of canada. operations room i.

write is going to be a battle between the north and the south at any you meeting in brussels states on a course collision course over spending plans for the next few years britain is the loudest voice among those calling for a budget cut something that's fiercely opposed by the southern countries who are heavily dependent of course on those funds forty's teletypes arcilla reports from brussels. we've seen some of the leaders who had arrived here already making strong statements first of all david cameron continuously saying that if the budget is not brought down to a level that he is happy with there will be no deal we've heard from countries who are saying that they may use their veto if they are not happy such as the czech republic to simplify the vickery going on right now it would be between northern and southern countries you could say the wealthier nations versus those that actually depend more on the e.u.

funding and on the one hand you have countries like the u.k. germany the netherlands denmark these countries are supporting harsher cuts to the e.u. budget david cameron being the most radical and controversial taking this step now he has been demanding since november last year in two thousand and twelve that was the first today is the second try and since that until now he's been demanding for cuts in brussels bureaucracy for instance he wants to reduce payments of officials here and this has not gone down well with brussels officials they also want to reduce their pensions for instance but on the other side you have those countries who are dependent on these forums and one of the loudest voices on this is. france now he is saying and pointing a finger at the u.k. saying they want cuts but at the same time they are very protective of the so-called rebate this is the money that the u.k. gets back from the e.u. as a return for their payments on farm subsidies which the u.k. does not benefit from and which france benefits a lot from you can see

a lot of the national interests coming here to the forefront so france well it's certainly not happy with what if you read between the lines would say hypocritical . that rebate is worth three point five billion euros and is seen to be wanting to tackle that point also the u.k. is coming into this summit this is the first time since he announced that out referendum that he said that he would pose the question of whether he should remain in the e.u. twenty seven reelected in the twenty fifth. of course this is a possibility of a creating even more tension with the u.k. with the cost benefit of actually being a member of the e.u. interpreted by the other members not being a team player in this regard and also as this talk is happening talking about budget cuts at the e.u. level we see the budget cuts on a more local ground level we've seen protests continuing even until today people very angry at the cuts imposed on them on their livelihoods of their pensions are

on their potential jobs while the e.u. cannot agree upon a budget of their own well later this hour max kaiser and stays here or herbert will reveal the politicians or one singular i should say they think is responsible for the financial turbulence roiling the e.u. take a look. well from drone strikes to torture techniques tough questions are ahead for barack obama's nominee for cia head at his confirmation hearing in the senate now john brennan is widely seen as the architect for the u.s. drone strategy in an effort to avoid scrutiny around brennan canada c perhaps the us president has even agreed to hand over classified documents justifying the killing of american terror suspects abroad now that is after years of keeping that secret as art has been educated reports of brennan's confirmation and might broaden the horizons for america's drone fleet. in the shadows no more

drones are moving into the mainstream was drone makers in the u.s. military pushing to defend the killing machine drones are more properly titled remotely piloted vehicles allow us to do is to project capability without projecting vulnerability and their revolutionizing warfare by allowing us to see and kill from half a world away a major drone manufacturer lockheed martin has financed an hour long documentary on drones aired recently on u.s. public television touting the technological capabilities of the killing machine from trailers like this pilots of the predator and its larger cousin the reaper have killed thousands of individuals since two thousand and one using remotely piloted aircraft contrary to popular belief actually provides the greatest degree of ethical oversight for their use this young man in pakistan would probably disagree several of his family members died at the remote hands of

a drone more than a thousand other civilians were reportedly killed by u.s. drone strikes in pakistan and yemen we find ourselves murdering people in many cases children with no evidence whatsoever that they're involved in any criminal or terrorist activity the numbers should not come as a surprise considering the broad definition the obama administration gives us to who should be on their kill list the leaked memo on targeted assassinations from the us justice department suggests the us government can kill people even without evidence that they are actively plotting against america if you extend the logic or studio logic being proud by the white house now where you come. cliff you might say that we're in danger of going over we're getting very close to zero thought crimes that if somebody a u.s. citizen or otherwise is believed to be thinking something that could lead to actions against you. united states then this illogical logic would present the idea

that it would be ok for the president to order that that person be killed despite the un raising concerns about the legality of the use of drones the us is said to expand its remote control warfare setting up new drone bases across the world the latest announcement a new facility in asia where obama has redefined war during intervention in libya he made the case that the war powers act in the quiet because there was no risk to american soldiers and so under that rationale he can expand the global war while in his state of the union address queening that we don't need perpetual war for peace but it is perpetual war when you can drop bombs on any country and then claim that it's not worth john brennan often referred to as the architect of the administration's drone war counts the new opportunities for the us to wage wars without risking american lives there's another reason a targeted strikes can be a wise choice to strategic consequences that inevitably come with the use of force

. as we have seen deploying large armies abroad won't always be our best offense all in all the u.s. now has around ten thousand drones in its fleet not all of them carry weapons of course a lot of them are for surveillance both domestic and international there's a great push both from the administration and the drone makers to present them as america's next best thing john brennan if confirmed will soon be at the helm of the cia and no one doubts that under him the program will expand even further the goal is pretty much clear to be able to control the world with a remote control in washington i'm going to. well stay with us here at r.t. in just a few moments we'll have live expert analysis on john brennan's candidacy and the tough questions that he may face in the u.s. senate after a short break stay with us. more

news today bought lim says once again flared up. these are the images the world has been seeing from the streets of canada. showing corporations to rule the day. speak your language because i think you might be well enough to be in. the program documentaries in spanish what matters is. the long term the deep angle of the stories. here. altie spanish find out me visit actuality.

welcome back to our tea as promised we have more analysis for you on barack obama's pick for the cia head and his upcoming confirmation hearing and what i'm joined by john the anchor c.v.r. editor at antiwar dot com sir thanks for taking the time to speak with us now when you look at the discourse coming out in the press about this confirmation hearing i mean it really feels like obama's counterterrorism policies are more on trial here than the actual. confirmation now the question is why is this happening now why are we now looking into these controversial tactics such as drone strikes targeted killings interrogation methods why now. well the nomination of john brennan to

be director of the central intelligence agency has brought these issues to a head and furthermore this week you know there was a leaked memo from the justice department that detailed you the executive branch's legal rationale for killing americans in targeted assassinations without due process or any checks or balances or transparency on that power to do so you know brennan when it comes down to it when you boil it down he's he's really represents two of the most controversial. war on terror national security policies that the government has had the first is the torture program during the bush administration. which he voiced support for and called the rendition program a vital tool and the second is of course his spear heading up the obama administration this extraordinary turn of the secret drone program literally

steering the targeting process in the legal in the just to go architecture of the drone wars which have killed on the order of three thousand people mainly in pakistan and yemen and as we know there's a few limits on what john brennan is willing to justify. through force and coersion in the executive branch and in the intelligence community because he's even gone so far as to just by killing american citizens and depriving them of their fifth amendment right so you know what's really unfortunate is that these two programs are all also examples where the guy or woman the u.s. government has has waded into very diverse to grounds what many consider to be criminal areas of activity that has faced no accountability for it no one in the john i want to get to that in just a minute but you just cited some of the the criticisms that john brennan had experience in fact he was forced to withdraw his candidacy when he was up for

nomination back in two thousand and eight over criticism about his role in these controversial interrogation techniques why do you think he as the man for the job by president obama considering a controversial history. right so he was considered as the man for the job by president obama. in two thousand and nine when an obama nominated him was was thinking about nominating him for the same position but obama faced scrutiny because he was at the same time talking about closing guantanamo bay you know banning torture he criticized the bush administration's war on terror policies and so it seemed too much of a contradiction to put these two things right next to each other but now we've had four years of the obama administration's ruthless drone war which has replaced the bush administration's detention programs and torture programs and so it doesn't seem like that much of a contradiction now brennan and george tenet and george bush and president obama

seem all on the same pile and you know you started to get at this point earlier but i want to talk a little bit about these actual programs that the u.s. government has been using for example the drone strikes when you look at their use i mean some critics have said that this in fact creates more terrorism because people are turned off by by and by these kinds of killings what do you make in general had mentioned perhaps of this in a legal type of program what do you make in general of the obama counterterrorism policies to date well you know. primary you know when you mention the drone war its ability to generate blowback this is this is essentially a fact it's a fact that brennan and other people knew bomb administration have been reluctant to admit but everything from you know u.s. reporting from on the ground in places like yemen and pakistan to studies that are

done of widespread poppy relations that that despise the u.s. drone program. other academic studies that have interviewed people on the ground that say they're scared to put their children in. but in large groups because they're frightened of the drones that are constantly overhead you know this does generate blowback and it's you know obama's counterterrorism policy is while they attempt to avoid getting into a conventional ground wars like the bush administration did they are putting americans in more danger than anything else certainly a serious question of ethics here that at least you know at least at least this hearing is making us have this conversation so certainly something to consider there thank you so much that was john glasser senior editor at antiwar dot com weighing in. well iran has extended a helping hand to egypt offering a loan to the cash strapped country now sudan may also be in line for iranian

assistance now all this despite the fact that tehran is self is subject to several rounds of u.s. backed sanctions over its nuclear program now political analyst save mohammad marandi says that we may be in for a geo political shift in the region with iran trying to challenge u.s. influence there. they are giving or offering these loans basically to encourage trade between iran and egypt and sudan because iran believes that the overthrow of some of the dictatorships in the region have opened new opportunities to bring about greater regional cooperation and iran wants to help these countries away from the american orbit as it were in iran the feeling is that the united states and the e.u. are already rapidly on the decline a number of dictatorships that they have been backing have been overthrown dictatorships that they are backing like saudi arabia and other oil rich arab

regimes are growing their future is becoming more questionable and attempts by the united states the e.u. and the oil rich dictatorships to create a civil war in syria and to overthrow the syrian government so far failed after two years so american policy in the region is is not doing well and the iranians feel that as time goes on it is the iranians who will be in a stronger position in the south korean internet head gangnam style seems to be facing some competition from gaza but it turns out showing up on the web wasn't just for fun for the palestinian creators of this video clip story on our dot com. also for easing nerves and getting into the holiday mood with a drink may soon become illegal in russia the government is now considering a ban on alcohol consumption on passenger planes after

a series of in-flight brawls. more news today violence is once again flared up. in these. these are the images the world has been seeing from the streets of canada. giant corporations rule the day. welcome back i'm lucy catherine of let's get to some other international news in brief right now. along supreme leader ayatollah khamenei has rejected a u.s. offer of direct talks over its nuclear program saying the two countries cannot negotiate when tehran has a gun pointed at it this comes just a day after washington tightened economic sanctions on iran and that was strict in cash from oil production u.s.

vice president joe biden made the offer of one to one discussions last saturday. now the leader of hamas says that he is in talks with palestinian president mahmoud abbas about forging a coalition government khaled mashal mentioned that both parties are getting ready ahead of parliamentary and presidential elections hamas have pushed the fatah movement headed by abbas out of the gaza strip in two thousand and seven sparking a conflict between the two sides. i have for you with the kaiser report don't go away. she did leverage sure it. was easy to believe in each most sophisticated radar which doesn't give a.